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Chinese medicine for ankle sprains and other exercise-induced injuries
As spring comes into full bloom with the approach of May, people are flocking outside to run, jump, play… and get injured. Such is life! So now is the perfect time to discuss the most common varieties of common exercise-induced injuries: the sprain and its sibling the strain. When you pull a muscle or roll…
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An introduction to acupuncture for acute pain
One day as a medical intern during my schooling, a faculty member came in for a treatment for acute pain. He had just rolled his ankle outward, which is the harder and more painful way, and it was swollen almost to the same size as his knee. He wanted to know if I knew how…
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Treating the common cold with Chinese herbal medicine, or on when not to reach for Yinqiao san
My Chinese herbal lineage focuses on deep understanding of the most venerated text of Chinese herbal medicine, the Shanghan za bing lun. The first, and most well known, part of this text (often referred to simply as the Shanghan lun) contains information about treating diseases that are caused by factors outside the body. In particular, the vast…
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How to Prepare for Top Surgery Like a Pro (with a little help from Chinese medicine)
Top surgery, like so much of trans healthcare, is a subject about which much information in desired, but little is available from trusted sources. Every surgeon has their own particular instructions on how to prepare and heal, and most of them do not have good websites. I personally don’t know how anyone transitioned before the…
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A basic primer on the Chinese medicine view on living seasonally
From a Chinese medicine perspective, it is essential that we learn to live in harmony with the seasons. There is, of course, no monolithic “Chinese medicine perspective” but all lineages and even more modern interpretations of Chinese medicine theory discuss the health benefits of seasonal awareness. The recent movement around local and seasonal foods is…
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Trapped underwater – kidney yang deficiency, cold & chronic pain
In the last installment of this series of articles, let us to turn to the all-important kidney yang. If you’ve missed them, you may want to check out some earlier articles in this series, such as this one about terror and the Chinese medicine heart, or this one about the liver and depression. As…
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The kidney yin, mysteries & panic in the face of the unknown
In previous posts I’ve discussed organs from four of the five elements in Chinese Medicine; The heart (fire), the lung (metal), the liver (wood) and the spleen (earth). In the final articles in this series I want to conclude by the discussing the water organ, the kidney. Our kidneys in western medicine are vital in…
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Earth yin deficiency in Chinese medicine – When you want it ALL
Last week we discussed the lack of motivation and depression that can result from not having enough yang in the Spleen. The rest of the articles in this series are also available including the first one about chronic anxiety, the second one about terror, the third one about closure of the heart, the fourth one about…
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Earth Yang deficiency in Chinese medicine – Too tired to care
To read the previous articles in this series : the first on chronic anxiety, the second addressing terror and the Chinese medicine heart, the third looking at severe closure of the heart, the fourth concerning depression and the Chinese medicine liver and the most recent about Chinese medicine and rage or anger. I’ve gone five entire…
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No chill left – the treatment of anger and rage with Chinese medicine
In the previous article in this series, I discussed the depression that can arise when the Qi of the liver stops flowing properly. You may also want to read the first and second articles in this series – exploring various aspects of the treatment of emotional difficulties with Chinese medicine. In this week’s installment I want…
